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Alt folk-rock with quirky, poetic lyrics and a percolating beat -- dark, artful music, sometimes edgy and sometimes hauntingly beautiful -- new music with Americana roots.
From the collegetown of Ithaca, NY, Boy with a Fish is: Jeff Claus (guitar and vocals), Judy Hyman (electric violin, viola, and vocals), Rick Hansen (accordion and keyboards), Jay Olsa (bass), and Ryan Cady (drums).
Claus and Hyman are founding members of The Horse Flies, about whom Rolling Stone said, "A band that's earned a buzz. They churn out swirling, addictive songs, blending tradition with invention."
Birds Fly Backwards, the new CD by Boy with a Fish, was recorded before Cady joined the band. Drums and percussion on the CD are played by Ben Wittman, a longtime friend who has played with Laurie Anderson, Paul Simon, Don Byron, Solas, Tribe, and many others. Brian Wilson, regular drummer for Johnny Dowd, and Allison Miller, drummer with Natalie Merchant, have also played with Boy with a Fish.
Additional musicians on the CD are: Erik Della Penna (guitar) and Elizabeth Steen (organ and Wurlitzer) of Natalie Merchant's band; Robbie Aceto (guitar) formerly of Tom Tom Club; and Billy Coté (guitar) of Madder Rose and Saint Low. Birds Fly Backwards is the first CD of Boy with a Fish.
"It's not necessary for you to know that Boy with a
Fish is an offshoot of the Horse Flies, the much
heralded Ithaca, NY twisted folk/rock outfit. But if
you have an affinity for quirky Americana with a
hushed but hauntingly powerful electric shiver, you
should seek out Boy with a Fish's gripping new album,
Birds Fly Backwards. The heart and soul of BwaF
mirrors the Horse Flies' creative engine of
vocalist/guitarist Jeff Claus and violinist/vocalist
Judy Hyman. Claus sings in a reedy plea that sounds
like a keening hybrid of Freedy Johnston, Jules Shear
and David Byrne, while the band (fleshed out by
Plastic Nebraska's Rick Hansen and Jay Olsa and, on
this recording, Laurie Anderson drummer Ben Wittman)
offers a dustily expansive soundtrack of melodic
melancholy, airily suggesting the electric pop texture
of Talking Heads and the authentic crackle of 16
Horsepower. From the shimmering opening strains of
"Sometimes," with all the noir-ish menace of a Stan
Ridgway short story/song ("Losing hair since I was
twelve/and I think my car wants to hurt me/I can see
it standing there/It's unsettling me..."), Boy with a
Fish makes a deep impact with the simplest
instrumentation and the sparsest arrangement.Birds Fly
Backwards is quietly compelling and, with any luck,
Boy with a Fish will enjoy the same longevity and
accolades as their lauded parent band.
-- Amplifier
Magazine
"Claus' voice sounds like the product of a masterful
combination of the best parts of Neil Young and
Michael Stipe. ...and there is an eerie ambience
created chiefly by the electric violin and the
accordion. ...addictively groovable ...the quirkiness
is endearing ...and the end result is signature, edgy,
and big-time hip. ...Aspects of Boy bring to mind
bands like Talking Heads, The Pixies, X, and PJ
Harvey, but they can't be pigeon-holed. Very
intelligent, very original material, made possible by
hot players with a unique vision and perspective. This
CD is cooler than the other side of the pillow."
--Overground Magazine
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Birds Fly Backwards
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